Work feeding and guiding mechanism.



R. L. PLUMLEY. WORK FEEDING AND summe MEcHANlsM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I7. 1915.

Patented Feb. 6, E917. 2 SHEETS-SHEET I l I "I l WITNESS ATTO'RNEY R. L. PLUMLEY. woHK FEEDING AND GUIDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. I7, 1915.

Patented Feb. 6, 1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY entran strains a ernten.

RAYMOND L. PLUMLEY, OF \VILMINGTON, DELAWARE, ASSIGNOR TO FREDERC'K OSANN COMPANY, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WORK FEEDING AND GUIDING MECHANISM.

specification of Letters raient.

Patented Feb. 6, teilt.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RAYMOND L. PLUM- LEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Wilmington, county of New Castle, and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Work Feeding and Guiding Mechanisms, of which the following is a true and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part thereof.

Mypresent invention comprises improvements in the work feeding and guiding mechanism for sewing machines, especially devised for use in sewing machines of the type known as straw sewing machines intended for high speed operation in factory use, Vand the general object of my invention is to provide simple and eifective work guiding mechanism capable of ready adjustment both to compensate for wear and to accommodate the different kindsof work and in which the parts liable to the most rapid wear are readily renewable.

Thel various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this specification. For a better understanding of the nvention, however, and of the advantages possessed by it reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which l have illustrated and described the preferred embodiment of my invention.

Of the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a straw sewing machine embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a partial end elevation of the sewing machine shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a partial section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

` Fig. 4 is a plan view partly in section on Y the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a partial section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a partial section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a partial section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 8 is a plan View of one of the guide plates employed.

In the drawings: A represents the frame of the sewing machine of the type in which the main driving shaft B carries an eccentric connected to a needle lever C by a con necting rod X. The needle lever C is connected to and reciprocates the needle bar D which, with the parallel presser bar E, are both mounted in the arm of the machine frame. inasmuch as the invention claimed herein pertains solely to the work feeding and guiding mechanism, no further reference to the stitch forming mechanism located above the work plate or bed a, need be made. Such mechanism moreover is de scribed in some detail in my application, Serial No. 21985 iled of even date herewith.

The presser foot F is secured to the lower end of the presser bar and extends generally parallel to the top of the work plate a. Secured to the presser foot F proper and really forming a part thereof, is a plate G formed with a vertical portion or 1in G for engaging the edge of one of the two pieces of work to be joined. In the practical use of the invention in the manufacture of straw hats, for instance, the work piece having its edge engaging the guide fin G is the previously formed portion Y of the hat. rlhis previously formed portion Y passes over an extension G2 of the plate G (see Figs. l and 2) and is separated by this extension from the strip of braid Y to be sewed to the previously formed portion Y. This strip of braid Y passes, between, and is en gaged at its opposite edges by the guide plates I and J carried by the adjustable work guide member H. g represents the usual means employed for locking the plates F and G together in the desired adjustment.

The work guiding member H is formed with a key way H5 in its under side fitting over the key rib a on the work plate a. The member H is formed with a longitudinal slot H through which passes a screw stud L2 on which is journaled a knob L. The latter is provided at its inner end with a spur gear L meshing with rack teeth formed on the member H. With this construction the member H is moved longitudinally, by the rotation of the knob L, to vary the distance between the iin G and the guide plate J. In order to provide a frictional holding device for holding the meniber H and knob L against accidental Vdis-V placement from any positions into which they have been adjusted, a lspring L3 is mounted in a socket formed in the knob L to act between the :inner end wall of Vsaid socket and the head of the screwV stud or stationary aXle member L2. The knob L is thereby caused to press against the member Hv and to press the latter against the member A whereby the member H is frictionally held in the different positions into which it is adjusted. Interposed between the spur gear L and the member H is the washer like head KYof a stationaryguide K. The body of the latter isl in the form of a rod comprising an inturned end portion and a straight body portion passing freely through an aperture in the fiange H3 formed at the end of the member H. The guide or wear plate J is clamped against the flange H3 by means of a clamping screw J2. rPhe guide plate I is loosely connected to the member H by means of the shank I received in a corresponding socket formed lin the member H. Advantageously the shank I is split so that Vthe plate I is frictionally held against displacement while at the same time the plate I may be quickly adjusted to accommodate braids of different widths.` IVith the construction described it is asimple matter to renew the plate J which is preferably formed of sheet metal, whenever wear makes this desirable, without renewing the member Hwhich, is ordinarily a cast metal part and is not subjected to appreciable wear, and lwill consequently last indefinitely. A A Y The work Vfeeding mechanism proper comprises an eccentric B on the main shaft B, and a connecting rod M by which the throw of the eccentric B is imparted to a rocker N, and a feed bar P pivotally connected to the rocker N through the stud shaft O and in engagement at its opposite end withthe feed lift eccentric, or rather crank pin portion B2 of the main sha-ft B.I M is pivot# As shown, the connecting rod ally connected to the rocker Nl by means of a stud M adjustably, secured in the arc shaped slot N formed in the rocker N. The

feed bar P is formed with a split ear clamp by means of which the stud shaft .O is normally rigidly connected to the feed bar. The stud O is journaled in an adjustable bearing formed in the rocker N. The connectionl between the feed bar P and the crank pin portion B2A of the main Vshaft comprises a split bushing Q, the two halves of which each have their convex -sides fiattened so that the bushing and crank pin B2 as a whole, forms a block slidingly received in the guideway P2 between the offset bifur-y cations P atvthe correspondingend of the feed bar P. These `bifurcations maybe drawn together to compensate for wear andV PL represents a shim interposed varied for different adjustments. When the bifurcations P are drawn together compensation is made not only for wear of the j contacting surfaces of parts P and A, but

for wear at the contacting surfaces of pin B2 and bushing Q; f Y

The bushing Q is V.held against endwise displacement by` engagement with. the shoulder at the end of the crank pin portion'B formed bythe body of the shaft Band:by the shoulder B4 formed onLthe main shaft or on the khook Sj secured to themain shaft.

The feed bar P has adjust-ably secured to it thefeed jaw R.

While in accordance withfthe provisions of the statutes I have illustrated and de,-

scribed the bestlform of myinvention now known to me, it will be apparentto those skilled in the artthat changes; may be made in the form of .apparatus disclosed' without departing from the spiritofmy invention*l and that in some casessomefeatures of my" invention may be used 4without aV .corresponding use of other features. Y j

Having now described'myinventiom what I claim as new and desire to secureby Let,- ters Patent, is

l. Ina sewing machine,tllegcombinationl with the stationary framework, of work; guiding Y mechanisml mounted thereon and comprising la IVsliding body formed with( a.

slot and provided with rack teeth'valongside A said slot, an axle member passingthrough the slot -in saidbody and screwed at its in-` ner end into said framework and formed at its outer end with an enlargedhead por,- tion, a knob journaled onsaid axlemember `and comprising a spuiygearvportion mesh;A ing with said rack teeth,- saidknobgbeingformed with a central passage of whicha portion adjacent the frame work fits,1about, and forms y.a Vbearing ongsaidraXle Vmember while an outer portion is enlarged to form an elongated spring receiving space surf' rounding the outer portionmof said'aXle member, anda helical springlocated int'said space and surrounding said axle; member* and acting betweensaid knob and theihead of said aXle member to frictionally igrip said body between; saidgknob `and frame work and thereby to frictionally hold said. knob and body in their Qdifferent adjustments. Y

2. In a sewing machine, the combination with the `.stationary frame work, ofpwork guiding Vmechanism mounted. thereon and comprising a sliding body fformedwith..a

slot and provided with rack teeth alongside said slot, a. knob comprising a. spur gear portion meshing With said rack teeth, a stud passing through the slot in said body and secured at its innei` end to seid frame Work, a spring acting between said stud and knob, Wheieby said body is friotionally gripped between said knob and frame Work and the knob and body are thereby rietionaiiy held in their different adjustments and e work i@ engaging Wear plate detaehabiy clamped to the end of said body.

RAYMOND L. PLUMLEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing 'the Commissioner of Eatentn, Washington, D. C. 

